The Collected Letters, Volume 16

I cannot make out from your Tuesday's letter whether you had received mine of Monday—or no. Appearances are against your having
received it—for you make no allusion to any part of its contents nor yet to the letter of our immortal Cousin James which
was enclosed in it1— Yet I cannot fancy how it could have miscarried—or failed to arrive at the right time (Tuesday morning) being that I as
good as put [it]2 in the post office with my own hand—on Monday at midday— that is to say I saw with my own eyes Robertson put it into the
post office with his hand— But perhaps I had forgotten to address it! I sometimes do such things. —yet no—for I remember Robertson
asking me in looking at the letter “Where is Maryland Street”?— Am I sure however that I put Liverpool? if not—the letter of course would have a rather discursive progress—

In the case of your not having had that otherwise of-no-consequence-letter you will be thinking me no better than I should
be—and to put an end to such misappreciation I write to day merely to say that I had written—for today my head is specially
bad and I am not up to a decent letter—in compensation I send you a document from Thackeray—which has wit enough in it to
make up for any sort of scrap— To understand it aright I must tell you that he and Fitzgerald came here that evening we were
at the musical lecture3—the only evening in which they could have failed to find at least one of us at home— Ever since I had been thinking occasionally that I should write him a note
of regrets and fix an evening—but my intention like too many others during the last week had gone to the paying of the bad place!— To sharpen my sense of hospitality there arrived this letter from Fitz-boodle4 two days ago which would have made even old Pistrucci “in the Character of Heraclytus” laugh.5 Pray return it to be present among my genuine treasures—

I have a great many things I am sure to tell you—but my headach today puts a veto on everything— Bless you dearest—and in
the meanwhile write to me on credit. Love to all—